Canucks’ Elias Pettersson has been better at centre, but there’s more to be done – The Athletic
The vibes around Elias Pettersson are refreshingly positive right now. It’s a far cry from even just three weeks ago, when a slow offensive start (eight points in his first 13 games) had the local market again reaching for pitchforks again.
Vancouver’s top centre has notched four consecutive multi-point games, elevating his season’s production to 19 in 21 games. He’s on pace for 74 points, which would represent a 29-point jump from the measly total he registered in 64 games last year. On top of that, Pettersson’s done a lot of dirty work for the Canucks defensively, taking on a steady diet of defensive zone starts and the toughest matchups of his career because of the club’s decimated depth.
It has many fans gleefully asking if Pettersson is officially back as a top-flight franchise centre. Let’s break down what we’ve seen from Pettersson at the quarter mark of the season, including the promising signs of progress and the areas in which he still has another level to reach.
A higher competitive level
Last year, the way Vancouver’s organizational leaders spoke about Pettersson raised some eyebrows.
General manager Patrik Allvin was blunt, saying Pettersson’s maturity and preparation needed to improve. Former coach Rick Tocchet called out Pettersson’s practice habits as an issue. It was also reported that the club wasn’t thrilled with Pettersson’s training in the summer of 2024, which he attributed to knee tendinitis. The Canucks needed Pettersson to step up his all-around commitment, investment and leadership, both to himself and to the team.
That tune has changed for the better.
President of hockey operations Jim Rutherford was very complimentary of the work Pettersson was putting in at the start of the offseason, when he stayed in Vancouver longer than usual. First-year coach Adam Foote raved about Pettersson’s energy and tone-setting on Day 1 of training camp in Penticton. The most noticeable difference, however, is how Pettersson is battling on the ice.
No one could argue that Pettersson was taking shifts off or not trying his hardest last year. This season, there’s a different level of urgency, desperation and competitiveness to his game. He has blocked the most shots among all NHL forwards this year. He’s consistently laid his body on the line to make these blocks (sometimes to a reckless degree) and has fully embraced a team-first attitude. When he has the puck, he isn’t being pushed off or falling over nearly as often. He appears stronger on his feet and in board battles.
The Canucks aren’t paying Pettersson $11.6 million per year just to block shots and try hard. They need top-line-calibre offensive results as well, and Pettersson has improved in that area, too. However, seeing Pettersson pay the physical price and battle his tail off every shift is essential for earning respect in the locker room. Teams need their highest-paid players to lead by example and set the tone, and Pettersson deserves credit for doing that.
Showing offensive promise
Pettersson’s confidence is clearly growing.
He isn’t as electrifying as he was at his peak 2-3 years ago, or taking shifts over by flying up the ice with speed and pushing defenders on their heels. However, there have been more moments in which he looks like the old version of himself, the one who terrified opposing defences and goaltenders. This short-handed snipe against the Carolina Hurricanes last Friday is an example:
#Canucks Elias Pettersson scores his 8th career shorthanded goal & his first in 100 games
(Last SHG: April 8, 2023) pic.twitter.com/f5z0oiLUld
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) November 15, 2025
His assist Sunday on Jake DeBrusk’s power-play goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning, when he danced around Yanni Gourde, attacked the middle and created an initial slot shot, is another.
Pettersson appears to be following his instincts as a puck handler again. He isn’t second-guessing himself or hesitating as much as he was last year, and his puck control and decisive passing — especially how he’s found difficult east-west passing lanes — are significant reasons why Vancouver’s power play ranks top 10 in the NHL.
Pettersson is gaining some of the burst back in his skating stride as well. He ranks in the 71st percentile of forwards for speed bursts greater than 20 miles per hour — not quite the territory he was in during his 102-point season in 2022-23 (89th percentile), but a significant improvement over 2024-25.
Pettersson’s speed bursts per year
Season
Speed Bursts 20mph+
2025-26
71st percentile
2024-25
54th percentile
2023-24
78th percentile
2022-23
89th percentile
Pettersson’s line has generated 2.78 expected goals for per 60 at five-on-five. That’s notably higher than last year’s rate of 2.22 per 60, indicating that his line is creating more high-quality scoring chances.
This isn’t to say that everything is trending in a perfect direction, though. Pettersson is firing just 4.7 shots on goal per 60 minutes this year, which is an even lower rate than last year. During his career-best 102-point season, Pettersson was launching shots on goal at double that rate.
Pettersson’s shot rate is still lagging
Season
Shots Per 60
2025-26
4.7
2024-25
5.5
2023-24
7.7
2022-23
9.4
What about Pettersson’s shot velocity, which appeared to take a significant hit last year? Well, there’s good news and bad news.
The good news is that 33 percent of his shot attempts are hitting at least 80 miles per hour, which is a nice uptick from the 23 percent he registered last season. The bad news is that 33 percent rate is still a far cry from 2022-23, when he was at 53 percent.
Another level to reach
In a challenging defensive role that requires a heavy dose of defensive zone starts and difficult head-to-head matchups against opposing top lines, Pettersson has held up well from a two-way perspective. But there’s higher for him to go to reach the level of a Selke Trophy-calibre player.
With Pettersson on the ice, the Canucks have controlled only 43.5 percent of shot attempts and 46 percent of scoring chances. That territorial bleeding has shown up on the scoreboard, with the Canucks outscored 9-4 during Pettersson’s five-on-five shifts over their last 11 games.
Flames centre Mikael Backlund leads the NHL with 82 defensive zone starts at five-on-five this year, 14 more than Pettersson. Backlund has also faced more difficult matchups than Pettersson this season, according to HockeyStatCards. Yet Backlund has helped Calgary control nearly 55 percent of shots and post a positive goal differential during his five-on-five shifts. In contrast, Pettersson is underwater in most play-controlling categories.
Last year, the New Jersey Devils’ Nico Hischier, the Lightning’s Anthony Cirelli and the Winnipeg Jets’ Adam Lowry were other centres who delivered stellar play-driving numbers despite being tasked with similar zone starts and quality of competition.
It’s also worth remembering that because most shifts begin on the fly, even players with extreme usage aren’t starting in their own zone as often as you might think. Pettersson has logged 362 shifts at five-on-five this year, but his 68 defensive zone starts account for less than 19 percent of his total shifts. Pettersson has also gotten 52 offensive zone starts, second-highest among Canucks forwards and tied for 57th most among NHL forwards.
Pettersson 5v5 zone starts
Shift TypeStarts
On the fly
168
Defensive zone
68
Neutral zone
74
Offensive zone
52
Matt Cane, the Devils’ vice president of hockey analytics and strategy, conducted a fascinating study back in 2015, which found that zone starts don’t have as significant an impact on a player’s two-way analytics as one might expect, mainly because defensive zone starts account for a relatively small percentage of a player’s overall shifts.
All of this is to say that while Pettersson has handled his extreme usage well overall, he still has another step to take as an elite play-driver. He needs to hit that level before he can again be declared one of the league’s best centres.
What can Pettersson improve on to tilt the ice more dominantly? He can sometimes struggle with zone exits, despite almost always being positioned very low in the defensive zone to support Vancouver’s defenders, but he doesn’t have the explosiveness in tight quarters to be a breakout machine in the same way as some other top centres.
Monday against the Florida Panthers, for example, Pettersson led only one zone exit with possession at five-on-five, which did lead to his second goal of that game. He is reliant on his other four teammates to break the puck out cleanly.
That explains the dramatic difference in his number depending on what defence pair he’s out there with. When Pettersson is on the ice at the same time as Quinn Hughes, the Canucks have controlled a commanding 56 percent of scoring chances and outscored opponents 8-5 at five-on-five. When Pettersson is on the ice without Hughes, the Canucks have controlled just 37 percent of scoring chances and are down 6-2 in terms of five-on-five goals.
Watch how Hughes’ speed in transition creates an odd-man rush that leads to a Pettersson goal against Florida.
🚨CANUCKS GOAL🚨
Hughes to Kane to Pettersson! What a goal! EP40 cuts the Florida lead to two.
🎥: Sportsnet | #Canucks pic.twitter.com/qm1AgXC7Sz
— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) November 18, 2025
The Canucks should maximize Hughes and Pettersson’s minutes together, even though Foote already has them playing together a lot. Pettersson could also do more heavy lifting as a dynamic puck transporter in non-Hughes minutes, especially with Hughes’ long-term future in Vancouver uncertain.
A final assessment
Pettersson is showing clear signs of improvement through the first quarter of the season. His unimpeachable work rate and team-first commitment have stood out, and he’s shown some particularly exciting offensive flashes over the last handful of games. He’s showing more poise, assertiveness and confidence as a puck handler and is playing more freely off his instincts, especially on the playmaking side. It’s also encouraging to see a modest improvement in his skating data.
He’s still shooting at a fraction of the rate he was during his peak, though, and he hasn’t reached his previous apex form as a play-driver, even when accounting for the difficulty of his deployment.
Ultimately, if Pettersson can be a near-point-per-game player who also offers hard-nosed, conscientious defence, many Canucks fans will be happy. And if he can somehow build on this improvement and rediscover the game-breaking, elite play-driving elements of his game from 2-3 years ago? The fan base is going to be over the moon.
Data courtesy Natural Stat Trick and NHL Edge
